to become valued
members of community
School officials hope
to become valued
members of community
By jennifer dome
Staff Writer
FARRAH MAFFAI The new Darul Arqam Islamic School, located in South River’s old middle school building on Thomas Street, is scheduled to open in September.
SOUTH RIVER — The former borough middle school on Thomas Street is once again showing signs of life in the form of Darul Arqam School.
Since purchasing the building in December, the private school has begun renovation work, a principal has set up shop, and neighbors of the new Islamic school have welcomed the change, school Principal Ahmed Salem said from his office Monday.
"We want to let people know we’re here and we’re friendly," Salem said.
School administrators are looking forward to getting involved with the local community, Salem said. Members of the Borough Council and Mayor Robert Szegeti have already been a big help, he said.
According to the principal, area residents have been very friendly to their new neighbor on Thomas Street, though he believes some people still think the school is abandoned.
For example, last weekend, someone threw a rock through two of the building’s windows — windows that happen to be in his office, Salem said. While he does not believe this was done maliciously, he said the police have been notified, and school officials are hoping that once people know the school is no longer out of commission, the vandalism will cease.
The new Darul Arqam School will educate students in four grades beginning this fall.
After its first year, the school will be expanded to include more grades, and will eventually become a prekindergarten through 12th-grade school, Salem said.
According to one of the school’s founders, Ibrahim Kamel, approximately 60 to 70 children will attend the school this year. It is expected to employ about 15 teachers who have the necessary certification and experience, administrators said. The teachers do not need to be Muslim to teach at the school, they noted.
The school calendar will run from September through June, like other schools in the state, Kamel said. Children will also attend school during the same hours as public schools in the area, he said.
Officials at the school noted that many potential students are looking forward to its opening, as the borough’s sister school, located in South Brunswick, has a waiting list of more than 200 students, administrators said.
The Islamic school will be much like other private religious schools, Salem said. The curriculum will be similar to that which is taught at all public and private schools in the state. Starting at the fourth-grade level, students will have the option of learning other languages, such as Arabic or Spanish, though he said all classes will be taught in English. Students will also learn the principles of Islam and learn the Quran, but these lessons will also be done in English, Salem said.
Local programs such as sports and the South River Police Department’s DARE program will be incorporated into the schooling of children at the Darul Arqam School, administrators said.
"It’s not going to be a fanatic school," Salem said, emphasizing that he wants to dismiss any concerns that it will be what he referred to as a "Taliban school." Salem said that their school will be concerned with the same principles as other schools, such as keeping children off drugs and cigarettes and teaching them respect for others.
"We’re here to educate, not discriminate," Salem said, adding that anyone is welcome to enroll, regardless of whether the student is a Muslim.
According to Salem, the tuition to attend the Darul Arqam School will be $290 per month. The schools in South Brunswick and South River both offer scholarship programs and tuition assistance.
The borough sold the old middle school for $425,000, after negotiating with the school at the end of last year, officials announced in December. Prior to that time, the Borough Council had advertised for bids twice — first asking $475,000 and then, $425,000 — but no bids were received. The borough was then permitted by state law to negotiate the sale.
The 36,000-square-foot building is officially owned by the Board of Education. The 10-year lease agreement between the council and the board requires that the money from the sale of the property revert back to the board. After the sale, the council kept $10,000 to compensate for the renovations it completed at the facility, Borough Attorney Thomas Roselli said.
The use of the facility as a private school is permitted by a local zoning ordinance since the property is located in a residential zone.
Borough officials had initially planned to use the school to temporarily house the borough’s police department and court offices during renovations of the police headquarters on Main Street. However, those plans were later changed, and the police are now using trailers at the former Lincoln School at William and Prospect streets. The court offices are operating out of the Sayreville Municipal Court on Main Street.